Beneath the Still Surface
by Whyntir
Summary: Three years since the Black Rebellion and things have changed drastically within Area Eleven but the only thing the Black Knights will stand for is complete liberation from Britannia. And to make matters worse, Britannia is surrounded; enemies everywhere


He groaned as his alarm clock blared obnoxiously beside his bed. Why did Mondays have to begin so early?

"Brother, are you up yet? You need to hurry up or Milly will give you an earful again," a small voice called through the door. Another groan. Oh yeah, that's why! Lelouch slammed his palm on the snooze button before rolling out of the warm sheets into the fridged air of the apartment him and his brother Rolo lived in. It was modest enough, sitting on the third floor that overlooked the nicer part of the residential area in the Tokyo Settlement, still under reconstruction of course.

Ever since the Black Rebellion, the remaining, living family members of the Britannian royal family took over as viceroys. Everyone thought they would have died after the first year, now it had been three and the young Kali si Britannia was still ruling strong. She kept the policies in tact for the most part, but she placed light protective laws over the Elevens, significantly lowering the terrorist attacks and bringing relative peace. With such an act, she kept herself safe from the mobs, but it wasn't enough to stop the anger under the surface. Many believed she simply wanted to keep herself safe from a mobocracy. Lelouch didn't think that was too far off.

By this time he was dressed in a black sweater and dark jeans, his black jacket keeping him warm enough, but if the winter got much worse he'd need a new one that could carry him through a snowstorm. As it was, the frozen ice was falling fairly fast outside of the window. He couldn't wait for May, let's simply say that. Once fully dressed and hoisting his bag that held his precious camera onto his shoulder, a knock sounded again.

"Brother, time to go. Are you ready?" the small brunet asked. The door opened, startling the boy. He blinked a few times before smiling shyly, "Oh, good. I thought you ignored me before."

"Sorry Rolo, I forgot to answer."

The younger laughed, "You do everyday."

Lelouch ran a hand through his black hair, "Not everyday . . . almost. Come on, you need to get to school. You drive."

"Alright big brother."

As the eighteen year old drove through the settlement, Lelouch looked out the window at the passing houses and shops. Almost every store used the Viceroy in their advertisements. Granted she was beautiful, but she seemed more like a pop idol than an actual political figure. It was ridiculous! Also, as they got deeper into Tokyo, he could see the facilities that the government was erecting under the orders of the Viceroy's brother Alexander si Britannia. He was not such a popular figure as his sister, being against the Britannian policies and more of a Looking-out-for-the-little-guy sort of person. Still, he didn't show any special favors to Elevens. The popular view was that he was doing it to protect his baby sister. Some gossip magazines even hinted that their relationship could, perhaps, be incestuous. It was good for a laugh.

They reached Ashford Academy and Rolo got out and waved good-bye while Lelouch made a quick wave and pulled the small black car away from the campus and rushed to the station. He glanced at the clock, damnit! He would be late. And today they had an interview with the Viceroy herself!

* * *

_Reconstruction progress of Tokyo Settlement: 55% achieved._

_Upgraded security to the Block Perimeters: 98% achieved._

_Status of all Anti-Air SAMs and guns: 87% operational._

_Naval Base Fortifications: 93% operational._

_Britannian Air Bases: 88% operational._

Alexander reread the list of the reconstruction progress of the Tokyo Settlement and preparing its defenses against a possible Bombing Raid by both the Russian Air Force and German Luftwaffe. Even if the two countries focused their power on the Chinese Federation right now, the Emperor had requested specifically for him to prepare against it. Whoever won the mainland war would be the newest threat to Britannia's Eastern-most Area and Western-most Boarder.

At the end of the Black Rebellion, the news reached the Royal Family that Cornelia had been severally injured in the battle; they decided that someone had to take the position of Viceroy of Area 11 while Schniezel made sure that neither the Chinese Federation nor the EU began an attack on the weakened state. Emperor Charles, under the suggestions of Schniezel, made the request that Alex take the place of Cornelia and rebuild the Britannian Satellite as quickly as possible. However, the younger denied the request deciding he didn't want to play the Britannian Politicking game and simply stated that he was brought to Japan to strengthen its defenses and he would only do just that.

He began working on rebuilding the Tokyo Settlement, starting to strengthen the security of the technician posts by devising a more complex system to prevent another Black Rebellion from ever happening again. Begrudgingly, he admitted he would likely never know how Zero was able to perform the task in the first place, but he would make sure that it would be damn near impossible for such a thing to repeat.

After the skirmish, Area 11 was left in a crippled state, open to European and Chinese invasion. If either one had mobilized and struck the dumbfounded territory in a lightening war, there would have been nothing Britannia could have done about it without a declaration of open war, which would have put the citizens in immediate danger. By a shear stroke of luck, however, Japan's saving grace happened in the form of Russia, declaring war on the Chinese Federation to conquer land which had been surrendered during the Federations birth. The sudden move caught the Chinese off guard, being as they were hoping to make their attack upon Britannia's territory. The world was shocked actually; no one thought that the EU would even dare make a move against the much more powerful Federation in such a fool-hardy move. Immediately, the EU declared that the country was acting in its own accord and that the rest of Europe would be hands off on the subject. Throughout the Chinese Federation, a sigh of relief, and no one expected the battle to last longer than a few months with Russia's defeat.

The Russian Government had different ideas.

At first, the battle really did seem pointless, Russia was pushed back to the border of the two countries, and then farther inland as punishment for even deceiving themselves that they could succeeded in their suicidal venture. Suddenly, literally occurring overnight, the tides turned. In a matter of days the Chinese Federation had been pushed back into their homeland and still retreating. Rumors circulated through Britannia that the Russians had a genius at the head of their army; the man was a ruthless bastard burning Chinese villages with the citizens locked away inside. No one was spared, and the only justification was that they were of the enemy.

When Alex heard of this, he was disgusted by the method since it made Russia look bad on the political grounds, making it seem like an antagonizer against peace. He had sent messages to the German Leadership to consider sending in an Expeditionary Force to coerce the Russians to lighten up on the intentional killing of innocent civilians and to help them in the war since Britannia was planning to launch an attack against the EU. Then again, it really wasn't Russia's war in that aspect. Western Europe was invading Britannian territories of Iceland and had trained their sights on Greenland to gain a strong foothold within the vicinity of Britannia. Russia hadn't been a member for such a long time; actually the country had been officially accepted only two years ago.

He sighed, as it was, this genius (as Britannia loved to call him) was causing more trouble than he was actually worth, to the rest of the EU anyway. Alex couldn't very well call a good friend worthless, especially one he had respected since they met. The other members were calling a meeting which he would sit in on, and hopefully talk his friend into a more mild measure other than the centuries old Scorched Earth Policy Russia was well known for and made famous by Napoleon's failed invasion.

He sat in his office as he began to think of a believable excuse to go missing for a few hours. He knew Schniezel had a close eye on him, so there really wasn't anything he could say that could get him out of Area 11, meaning he had to resort to audio channels with voice changers in order to make these meetings and keep the Britannian Intelligence team off his trail.

Alex began setting up the equipment he had with him in his office.

* * *

She looked out the window towards the Government Bureau as she knew that he would be there now, helping Milly film the footage for the interview with the Viceroy. After a moment of thought, her companion entered the room wearing nothing but a pair of boy shorts and a towel to cover her large bosom.

Kallen slipped the boy shorts down, revealing her white, satin undergarment. She was going to execute the plan today, but she had to b ready so she'd be there at her usual time. It would ruin everything if Lelouch picked up on any funny business now. "So Kallen," C.C asked in her usual condescending voice, "what do you plan on doing now?"

Kallen looked at her with a look of anger in her eyes as she heard the tone C.C. had when she asked her. Even living with the woman for two years, and she still had a way of getting on her nerves with her mere presence. Okay, it was mostly her _"Mightier than Thou"_ attitude, but whatever. "Nothing more than what this plan of yours calls for," Kallen answered back with a bite in her tone.

"Is that so?" C.C. shrugged, "I was expecting something to do with big guns and overly improper poses from you."

The corner of Kallen's mouth twitched downward, "I hate you." She clipped on her bra and slipped the straps over her bare shoulders.

"You're going to be late to the gym."

"SHIT!"

After the failure of the Black Rebellion, a number of their high ranking officers were captured by the Britannian Army, and most of their past commanders having been given death sentences for siding with Zero's organization, or just to make an example out of them. Those that were able to avoid capture either retreated to the Chinese Federation or set up small guerilla cells within Japan to continue the fight against Britannia. These cells would recruit some small resistance and performed operations against the Britannian military in any way they could. While the small groups without a seasoned officer would make operations against the opposing empire with Improvised Explosives, car bombs, or even suicide missions in both military and civilian populations. Methods that Zero wouldn't have approved. However, the Viceroy's brother certainly kept a tight lid on these groups with the help of Cornelia's Royal Guard, and had them killed immediately after being captured. Implementing the kind of Iron Fist operations on rebels that Britannia had been well known for.

In the Chinese Federation, things were not going well over there either since the Russian Invasion of the Federation happened in the name of taking back some disputed territories. Although the Chinese initially had the initiative, it all changed when a highly regarded Russian General took command and began pushing the Chinese back and utilized the Slash and Burn Tactics against civilians that housed Chinese soldiers in order to protect his rear flank. It was due to this that the High Eunuchs of the Federation were trying their best to get the Black Knights to join them in their war with Russia. And it was taking every amount of effort from Kaguya Sumeragi to not get involved these past three years. However, the Eunuchs were making plans to try and get the elements of the Black Knights into their ranks by cutting off their supply routes to them from the small groups that gave them their frames and ammunition in order to get their help in the war.

However, that was what C.C., Kallen, and a small contingent of Zero Squadron were going to do with this mission, to retrieve Lelouch and have him take up the mantel of rebuild the Black Knights. Revive Zero once more so that he can complete his plans before things truly got out of hand.

_'Just a little longer Lelouch,'_ they thought to themselves as C.C. continued to watch out the window hopefully and Kallen ran down the stairs to her destination, _'We haven't given up yet.'_

* * *

The talking ceased as the doors leading into the conference room opened up. The inhabitants of the room had been discussing their plans to gain Iceland from Britannia, but they had more problems to deal with at the moment. Specifically dealing with an over zealous general on the Chinese Front. A young man entered the room dressed in a russet three-fourths trench coat, carrying a matching hat in one hand. He didn't take the long strides of most officers and he only saluted half heartedly to the diplomats and world leaders. He took the empty chair that had been set for him and placed the hat on the oak table.

"I apologize for being late, but it should be expected. Russia is at war," he sighed off-handedly, his nonchalant attitude angering some of the more vehement in attendance.

"This is what I cannot stand," a French diplomat growled, "They send a _child_ to fight a war!"

"Iris, please calm down," Siegbert sighed, "His military record proves he is capable of performing his task as a General."

Iris looked at the German diplomat with a stare that could melt the armor off a Knightmare, "I do not care for his records, I care about his conduct. He gives, not only Russia, but the entire EU a bad name."

"Excuse me for not fitting your image," the military man said, "But have you ever been on the front line? Seeing as you care more for appearances and not about the men and women who are on the front lines at this moment dying, I would say no."

Iris opened her mouth to retort when the sceen on the wall flickered on and a silhouette appeared with a 'W' in the top right hand corner. Siegbert sighed gratefully for the interruption, "Wolf, it's about time you showed up."

"_Sorry for the wait,"_ the voice said through a voice changer, _"Getting this connection through seven different satellites is not an easy task, especially here in Japan."_

The general gave a greeting smile, "So that's where you have been hiding Sasha."

"_Please stop calling me that,"_ that voice answered on the other end.

Before the young man could open his mouth to return the statement, the Chairman of the meeting cleared her throat. She was a middle aged woman with shoulder length blond hair and hard green eyes. "Thank you for joining us Wolf, General Nikolay. I would like to get this meeting started now if that is alright with you two. I know how busy you both are." Her voice had a slight German accent and curtailed any silliness that could have lingered. When she was met with silence and attentive eyes, she continued, "General Nikolay, we have called you here to assest your progress on the Chinese Front. We each have our own opinions, but unanimously we agree your conduct concerning you chinese citizens in unnessesary and under the term of immoral. Care to explain yourself Nikolay?"

The Russian sighed as he leaned basck in the chair, "If the citizens are hiding arms and soldiers, you would take every precaution to ensure that you lose as little men as possible. I cannot be wreckless, despite the thought that Russia has plenty of able-bodied soldiers. Each soldier has a family you know."

"And you are killing families General," Iris spat back.

The young man smiled, "That's because they made their choice to kill first."

"_That still doesn't mean you need to kill everyone there,"_ Wolf added before any of the diplomats could get at him.

"Well Sasha," he started slowly, playing idly with the hat before him, "If I were to simply kill the men, the women would seek revenge. If I kill the women, then it would be the children. I am not sure about you, but when my soldiers think of killing children, it makes them queesy. Burning a house with faceless enemies locked inside is much easier."

"_And how does that makes it less immoral?"_

"You can't save everyone."

"Before either of you two continue with this debate," Iris cut in with ice in her voice, "I'd like to give my proposal on fixing this problem by having General Nikolay Kerensky removed from his command."

"Excuse me," Akim finally spoke up, "I think we have to take in more of the situation pass the morality question. I think we can all agree we have done immoral things during war. Still, the fact is that the most immoral are the ones who win. Must I point back to the Napoleonic Era?"

If looks could kill, Akim would have been vaporized in his seat as the French woman glared daggers in his direction. "It's not like your people treated France any better at that time."

"Of course not," Nikolay grinned, "There's a name we called you, what was it again? Oh yeah: _Vrag_ (Enemy)."

"Representatives," the chairman announced as she slamed her gavel, "May we please leave our countries past issues out of this meeting. We are here to discuss what to do with the war between Russia and China." At that momnet, the diplomat of Denmark nodded towards her to let her know that she wished to speak. The council recognizes the representative of Denmark."

"Thank you Lady Chairman," the red-headed woman stated. She was young, about twenty-four to thirty, "In consideration of the pros and cons of General Kerensky maintaning his command, or losing it, I must say that it is in Denmark's best interest to Keep the General on the Chinese Front. If things continue this way, he could actually cripple China into surrendering and then we can focus solely on Britannia. We have already claimed Iceland, making it a hop, skip, and a jump to Britannia itself. With the General's success on the Eastern Front, w can squeeze the fight out of Britannia and finally end this non-stop war of expansion."

"I object," the representaive of Poland exclaimed, "If Russia continues with this strategy, they will bring Britannia into the war along-side the Chinese, and then we will be the ones fighting a two-front war and any gains we have made will be lost in an instant!" snapping his fingers to add emphesis on the disaster that he predicts.

Akim raised his hand for attention, "That may be Mr. Pawlak, but then Britannia's forces would be split regardless of what they do, leaving them divided and in a two front war. And as long as Western Europe keeps any forces away from Moscow as they promised, then Russia can last a long time regardless. And the Motherland will stand behind Nikolay. He is the best of the best and surpass even your own leading generals. Those are facts that cannot be ignored."

At that moment, the diplomats broke out into chaos over the topic of keeping the young general in command or not. The chairwoman slamed her gavel numerous times to bring back order amongst them.

"Please, please, quiet down!"

As the room slowly quited down, the Siegbert coughed to let her know that he had something to say.

"Mr. Siegbert, do you wish to say something?"

"Actually Miss Chairman, I believe our fellow spy, Wolf, would like to put forth a compromise to this issue."

"Very well, _Herr Wolf_ may speak."

"_Thank you Madam Chairman,"_ the voice answered, _"I have discussed this issue with both the Chancellor and President of Germany, and we believe we may have come up with a compromise. We keep Nikolay in charge of the Russian forces fighting the Chinese, and Germany will send an expeditionary force over to overlook his actions and curve his slash and burn tactics."_

Nikolay looked directly at the screen, his head tilted curiously, "And will you be in charge of this force?"

"_No, the German State leadership actually wants me somewhere else at the moment, but this is the plan that we wish to place on the table in order to appease both parties."_

"Aww," he sighed, "Too bad."

The Lady Chairman looked over the table, "Now that this is settled, I suggest we vote. I'm sure the Russian government wants their general back as soon as possible. All in favor of removing General Nikolay from his position?" A few hands raised, but none faster that Iris. "And all in favor of the German compromise?" Almost all agreed, making it a super majority. "It's settled then, Siegbert, please inform the German president of our decision."

"Of course," the representative pledged.

The chairman looked to the screen, "And is there anything else you wish to relay to us Wolf?"

"_No Madam, I believe I had done enough here, and I do need to prepare to join you in Europe for the upcoming battles."_

"Very well, this meeting is, therefore, adjourned."

* * *

"Viceroy Kali," an assistant called, opening the door. The princess stood at the window like she usually did, looking over the city with a distant expression. She blinked, the glaze in the sapphire eyes dissipating slightly, and turned to her assistant questioningly. "The people to do your interview have arrived."

"Thank you. Send them in please."

The assistant disappeared for a few moments before returning with the guests. Two stood out to her: one was a young woman with shoulder-length blond hair and happy blue eyes while the other was a male with black hair and amethyst eyes. Her head throbbed lightly when she saw them; that happened whenever she felt like she knew someone. Despite the pain, which grew the longer she looked at them, she smiled warmly.

The blond returned the smile, "Hello milady. My name is Milly Ashford."

"It's nice to meet you Milly. Please, have a seat."

* * *

As the group of reporters left, she sighed. She didn't like the constant question-and-answer, but what was more trying was the constant throb of her raging migraine. She reached into her desk and pulled out her bottle of pills. She swallowed them dry as another knock sounded on her door. She gagged slightly at the bad taste, but pushed pass it. "Yes? Come in."

Gilford opened the door slowly, "Are you alright lady Viceroy?"

"Yes, yes," she waved off his worry, "You came in here for a reason, didn't you?"

"Of course. I was instructed to inform you that your father has called for you. He has a mission for your talents. Also, your younger sister Nunnally wishes to speak with you as well. Your family worries for your well-being."

She chuckled dryly. Her father didn't worry about her; that much she knew. The red glint that lay hidden behind her bangs told her that much. Despite any position of power she was given, she was merely his tool. Being eighteen didn't change that fact either. Nunnally was a different person altogether, but she was wary of the girl. As much as she loved her, there was something not right about her person. It felt like another presence was there, but regardless, she loved her sister. "Thank you Gilford. How is the Terrorist Control coming along?"

"Well, with your compromising manner of government, there have been a sharp decrease in terrorist attacks, but I still worry for your safety. After what happened with Euphemia, I cannot stand to trust any Elevens," he sighed. The Viceroy may be able to handle herself in most situations, but she wasn't _all there_ most of the time. As a matter of fact, she was hardly ever _there_ anyway. She was somewhere else. Somewhere out in the city, or maybe beyond the city. Wherever she was, it did not seem like a good place. And the rumors of her nightmares did not go past him. As strong as she was, she seemed to be breaking on the inside, and that was not fitting for a leader.

"It's fine Gilford. And may I ask on the current predicament of the Russo-Sino war?"

"We're monitoring the situation, but as of now we have little to worry about. If things get splintered enough, Prince Schniezel will intervene. _You_ have nothing to worry about."

"Of course," she sighed before standing up, her long gown fluttered softly around her ankles, "I best be going then."

* * *

Milly laughed happily as they stepped out of the Government Bureau, "That was awesome! I can't wait for that interview to be aired."

"Every interview is awesome to you as long as you're the host," Lelouch sighed. He hadn't missed that fact that the princess watched him oddly, though he couldn't decipher her emotion.

Milly laughed again, "You're right. Hey, where you going?"

"To the gym," Lelouch called back as he stepped into his car, "Chasing after you with a heavy camera takes more muscle than you anchors would understand."

Kallen jogged the treadmill, her breathing labored slightly, but she wasn't too tired as to not glare at the males who walked by, staring a little longer at her bust than even she could take. And, granted, that wasn't a terribly long time. She downed another heavy gulp of water before replacing the drink. She glanced at her watch and counted down in her mind. Lelouch was a creature of habit; right as she reached zero, the door opened and her target entered the building. Their eyes met and she smiled warmly, despite how she questioned his motives and means from three years prior.

'_One more week Lelouch, then Zero will be back.'_


End file.
